P.S. X088 - S. Silverstein Little Sparrow School

This school's ELA performance is a genuine outlier — 71.8% proficiency puts it nearly 27 percentage points above the District 9 average of 44.8%, a gap that's hard to ignore. Math is more modest at 43.6%, essentially matching the district average. Look deeper at the trend line, though, and there's a compelling story: from 2016 to 2019, scores wobbled in the 30-50% range, then cratered during the pandemic (2022 saw just 19% ELA), and have since surged to their highest point in the school's recorded history. The upward trajectory is clear, but whether the school can sustain these gains — especially in math — is the question parents should watch.

If you want to understand why families stay at this school, look at the survey numbers: 100% of teachers rate instruction quality as good or excellent, and 96% trust the principal — both figures that dwarf district averages. Parents feel similarly, with 93% expressing satisfaction and 90% trusting teacher dedication. The day-to-day atmosphere appears collaborative and trusting. On attendance, though, the picture is tougher: while the overall attendance rate of 91.9% slightly exceeds the district average, chronic absenteeism sits at a troubling 70.2%, with Black students missing at an even higher 88.5% rate. Discipline is a bright spot — zero suspensions for three consecutive years, well below the district average.

This is a predominantly Hispanic and Black school in a neighborhood that mirrors those demographics. Nearly three-quarters of students are Hispanic, just over a quarter are Black, and the economic need index of 94 means virtually every student qualifies for free or reduced lunch. The community is highly family-dense (94.6th percentile) but with very low homeownership (4.4%) and education attainment (only 16.2% of adults have bachelor's degrees). This is a working-class neighborhood where families are navigating significant resource constraints.

Mount Eden-Claremont (West) is a transit-rich, family-dense neighborhood in the Bronx with real tradeoffs for parents. The safety score of 0.77 (on a 0-100 scale) is on the lower end, and environmental health indicators show concerns like elevated lead rates (15.2%) and high asthma rates. That said, the area scores very highly on transit (83.5%) and family density, meaning it's connected and populated with kids — but there's less of an established educational ecosystem here than in more affluent parts of the city.

Given the high family density and moderate transit access, many families likely walk or take short bus rides. The neighborhood's low homeownership rate suggests a mix of renters who may move frequently.